Electric switch.



C. C. STIRLING.4 ELEcrmc swncH. APPLICATIONV FILED'JMI. ll. ISIS.

'Ell' is...

UNITED sTATEs PATENT oEEIcE.

CLARENCE C. STIRLING, OFHIABTFOBD, CONNECTICUT,

AssIeNon To THE Vnaar c HEGEMAN MANUFACTURING COMPANY, 0F HARTFORD,CONNECTICUT, A CORPORA TION OF CONNECTICUT.

ELEGTEIG SWITCH.

Application ledlnnuary 11l 191B. Serial No. 211,444.

To all whom t may concern y Be it known that I, CLARENCE C. STmLiNc,

`a citizen of the United States, residing at Hartford, in the coiinty ofHartford and State of Connectici1t,have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Electric Switches, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention relates to electric switches and more especially t thatclass thereof 'known as snap switches. The re are sevrestrict myself,lhowever, to this particular disclosure; Iniay depart therefrom in sev'eral respects within the scope of the invention 'defined by the claimsfollowing said.

description. I have several fuinlainental motives in view. One tofurnish an article of the cbaracter'set forth which is exceedinglycompact. Another .object I'liave iii view is to-provide for thecilicient action of the circuit-controlling member. There are otherfeatures of vutility which l will set forth more in detail -in saiddescription.

Referring to said draw ings:

Figure 1 is an elevation of a switch in vol vin the invention.

v view of the switch;

Figs. 3 and@ jare cross rsectio'n .-i on the lines 3*-3 'andrespectively of Fig. 42,

looltiniir in the direction of the arrows aps.

plied to the respective lines.

Fig. 5 is a' detail viewfol al circuit con-` trolling or switching'member and-actuator, the parts. being` but partially represented and twopositions thereof being;r illustrated by full and dotted linesrespectively.

Like 'characters refer to like parts throughout the several views, Fig.5 beingr on iilarger i scale than the other views.

The switch involvesiii its make-up a body generally madeofsomeinsulating material .such as lporcelain or even .vulcanized rubber. Thebody shown' is denoted by 2, :induit is pctieall'y of' cylindrical fornnSurround: l Ibodyr is the shell 'as 3 of some sheet Specloation lofLetter Ratent.

4members. Their horizontal legs or branches Patented Sept. 10, 1918.

metal 'and virtually of bell-shape and yin which the insulating body 2comparatively snugly fits, the shell being closed at its lower end bythe cap 4, the two parts presentinga convenient casing for theinsulatinr body and coacting elements sustained there y. As Irl'iavealready stated the switch is shown as being of the pendent type; itfmayfor ex Aample be carried by a cord consisting for instance of the wires5 extending through an insulating ring or thiinble 6 in the top of theshell 3 and connected to contacts or ter inin'als mounted in sonicconvenient way,.one of which Will be hereinafter set forth.

The body 2 is slotted from one end, as shown the head or upper end,almost to thc other end, the slot beingr denoted by 7 andV b eing openon its sides in tlieperipliery or circumference of said body. Said slotis .virtually central of the transverse extent of the body. The latterbetween its'ends has a circuinfcieiitial channel. 8 in which areVmounted the coinpleinciital contact iiieinl-iers l). llicsc inc talcontact members 9 are'vof practically L or elbow shape and are, perfoiated to receive screws as 10, the perfora tions boing at tho anglesof the conti'ict mein! bers. The screws l() present a convenientl way ofconnecting the wires `5 to said Contact extend forwardly and into thecircumferential grooye 8 and Aarc of arched forni for almosttlieircomplete length, to conform to the curvature of the body 2; ltheir frontoi' y free ends are within the groove 8 and are a vertical 4transversesectional straight and practically in parallelism.l

These front straight portions constitiite coni i tacts, and are bridgedin thcl organization shown, b y the circuit controlling or switclild 6-ingniember when the switch is in the-on position as illustrated forexample by dotted lines `iiiFigig, 2.

The switching member which in the 'presil Vent case oIxirates iii the'slot 7 is denotedin'-'4` 1 -oo .conducting material and comprises apraca. general way by 12.. It is of metal or other ticaljly fiatelongated body 13, from the sides" of which cxtendoutwardly or .upwardlythe 4two longitudinally separatial 'pairs ofcooperatir'irr Hangers 1.4and 15, the llanges l1# as shown boing uiucli .longer than the flangesl5, .although this isa detail which doesiiot necessarily concern tlicinvention. These flanges in the present case on their outer jsurfaecsengage the walls of the slot or open- 15 nals with the shell'3. This sring Vas ing 7 to thus maintain proper control of tthe circuitcontrolling or 'switching member '12.

This circuit controlling or switching member in the present' oase floatsor moves bodily, havinggpreferably a rocking or oscillatory movement aswell as an endwise movement. It has as shown no ,drectconnection withits actuator, altliou h 1t is properly Vgoverned. thereby in coiulmction10 forillustration with a suitable spring as 16.

' This sprin 16 is 'of elongated coiled fo'rm and is uner .stretch andtherefore action constantly.' Its terminalsare suitably held forinstance by beingunited at its .termialso extends through registeringperorations 1 7 in the flanges or llps 14 and islocated 1n a slot 18vintersecting the main e'ot 7 and open at its outer ends, in view 'of'which reum- 20 stance the spring'may beconnec to the shelll as I havealready noted.-

The vswitching member 12 ismaintained under proper control at all unactuator suchs that denoted iii-'a general 26 wayby 19. is actuator'caube lmade .Uf

' some suitable insulating m'aterifhl'and hasn body'or actuatingortion-asiwhich may be described broadly as be'ing f cam form. .It isshown as being inthe shape of a-wedge "10 with a slightly rounded apex,and is pivoted at 21 near its base in the sl0t.` 7 near what .might bensidered the lower en'd ofthe body 2. e actuator canftherefo're, rockor'oscillate. I

The necessary rocking firoscillating motion o f said actuator nittyb'e-obtainedin any desirablcinannerg for nstanoeby th'buttons 22 'and23, which extend through registering perforations in l(he cap il andlower 4.0 portion ofthe body 2. The inner ends of these buttons extendinfo the'main slot 7 and their lateral portions are within thecircumferential channel 8 and engage the lateral projections 24 and 25of the actuator-.19. 0ther means might be substituted or buttons. I'havealready. indicated that 'Iz'hm merely showing and describing a highlysatisfactory form of structure com- 'prisngthe features of theinvention. buttons are not jointed or otherwise united lwithLtheactuator. They'are really disconnected therefrom and have only'acontact-'therewith to eiect the necessary .movement of the actuator.- Iprefer to provide therefore, means of .a positive nature for'controlling the buttons or equivalent means. I In Fig. 2 the switchingmember 12 is 'supposed to-be off and at this time is against the. latactuating face 126, the com! panion actuating face being -,designated by27. In Fig. 5- the .full'lines show a. corre.

spending position. To move the switching member 12' to the dotted lineor on position of Fig. 2, the follow-ing procedurew'ill be adoptedrThebutton 22 will be thrust up movable vand as n matterjof holding 1t oneof the contact'niem-bers -9.`

7member to secure wem or in, thereby 'elevating un tiscaop 24 andconsequently Swingin the actuator 2O toward therightlin'sad ig. 2. Onthis particular motion the apex. of the actuator will-ride along theunder surface of thegwitcliing member and' will first elevate the lswitching member. Asthe latter actionzocf curs the spring lwill befurther stretched' or tensloiied: Continuing the ape'x of the actuatorwilltraverse the under surface of of the' `spring 16 is practicallycrossed. When this -action does occur, the switching y11i the switchingmember until the center line member is released and the stretched springf will snap theaswitchng member forwardand downward to theclosed.positio n,..sc

that the flanges-or lips 15 can enter between` the free ends of thecontacts 9 as illustrated by dotted lines in Fi 2. To open the circuitthc action descri ed will be exactly reversed.

Surrounding the inner or upper portions of the two buttons 22 and 23 arethe hooks JS constituting the ends of the arcuate 4sl'u'ing 29. whichfits vin the circumferentialchanncl or groove 8 'and between its endsbears against the body 2. These hooks and a'. pant of the body ofthespring conform in-'fnct to the circumferential curvature vof the twobuttons and frictionally h'old the latter in p'ositions'to .which theymay 'have been shifted. The spring29 'iS- bodll'y'jni.

against .s ch action it may .be fitted un er 1. An electric switchcomprising' 'a' heat! ing swltching mieniber, and means forlca'us-` ingthe rocking.; mop/ement of said switching member successively between onand oil positions, V 2. An electrlc sw1tch comprising a. floatingswitching mem-ber, and manuallybpe'r# ble means for causing the' rockingmove# ...1.

ment of said switching member successivelyv lfetwnon and off positions.

iii);

`n electric switch comprisinigglfloat- I .ing switching member, andmeans in u uding' 4a springy for causingI the rockinginovement of saidswitching member succetsi'vely) member, a r, spring .1'201 the movementth rept, by

lstantly to shlft the same, and. an actuator ing switching lever, asprin 1 through the switching lever .lever by the: spring 6. An electricswitch comprising Va switching member, spring means actin agalnstg` theswitchi member and ten mgcon- .1-

for causing successive rocking movements o fthe switching member to onand 0H positions through the action of the spring.

7. An electric switch comprisinga floating switchin lever, spring meansacting against the switiing lever, and actuatin means to eiect themovement of the switc 'ng lever by the spring means successivelyto onand i 'oif positions 8. An electric switch comprising a floatingswitching level', a spring extending through the switching lever andconstituting a pivot therefor, and means operative against theswitching-lever to e'ect successivefmovements ofthe same between on 'andoif positions through the action of the spring. l

, 9. n electric switch comprising a floatextending tween the ends'Fthereof, and -means to traverse 'the switching lever atopposite sides ofthe point thereof through which the spring extends to thus causemovements of the switching .successively to on and off positions'. y

10. An electric switch comprising a switching lever, a sp'ringcxtendingthrough .the switching lever to thus -permit movement bodily thereof,and an actuator to engage' and travel along the switching lever ietweenopposite sides of the place at which the spring `extends therethrough.

11. An electricswitch comprisin an oscil-` latory switching member, acoi ed spring extending through the, switching member lbetween the endsthereof and secured at its endsto thus permit floating movement of tireswitchin member, and a wedge-shaped oscillatory e ement shiftablemanually to cause its opposite faces and apex to ride along theswitching member to 4opposite sides of the point at whichthesprmgextends therethrough.

12. An electric switch comprisin ing mechanism,- an actuator for saiswitchswitch- .ing mechanism, buttons having lateral portions, supportedindependently of'the actuator acting against the lateral portions of thebuttons to hold the same in their shifted positions.

13. An electric switch com risin switching mechanism, an actuator or'sai Aswitching mechanism, buttons supported independently of theactuator to oscillate the` same, and 4friction-Imaans acting against thebutto oscillate the'same, and spring tons to hold the 'same in theirshifted' po- A sitions.

14. An electric switch comprising switching means, an actuator'for saidswitching means, buttons supported independently of the actuator tooscillate the same, and s ringV means, buttons Vsupported independently"o means acting algainst'the buttons to ho d the the actuator tooscillate the `same,..a1ntl a spring common to the twoyliittons.andengaging the same, to hld'both of them in each of-theirshifted positions.

16. An electric switch comprising switch. ving means, an actuator= forsaid' switching means, a member' aving a lateral portion,

supported independently of and disconnect-- ed from the actuator toengage and operate the same, and means acting frictionally againstthe-lateral panion of said memberr to hold the Isame in Qapredetermined' postion.

17. An electricV Comprising switch:

ing means including a' switching" member andspring means', an actuatorfor tensioning said spring meansto cause the snap movement of theswitching member, a member supported independently of anddisconnected-.from the actuator, sald member being movable to e'ecttheoperation of the actuator, ,and means acting independently of saidspring means and 'against the member to releasab y hold it in apredeterminedposition. f Y In testimony whereof I aiik my in thepresence of two witnesses.

CLARENCE C. STIRLINGr.` lVitnesses L L. MAREL, HEATH SU'THERLAND.

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